He shrugged. "So?"
"So that's hardly your assistant's fault."
"Myex-assistant," he said.
I studied his face. I had to be missing something. In fact, I'd bet my life on it. "There's more to this story, isn't there?"
"If there is," he said, "you'renot gonna hear it."
"Oh, well that's nice." I was still clutching the phone. Placing it firmly on the table in front of him, I said, "Before this conversation goes any further, I need to ask you something, and I want you to be honest."
When he made no reply, I asked the question, anyway. "Her firing – it didn't have anything to do with me, did it?"
He looked at me for a long, penetrating moment. "What are you asking?" he said. "Did I fireherso there'd be an opening foryou?"
I blinked. "What? No. That's not what I'm asking at all." Beyond offended, I said, "You must think I'm pretty full of myself."
"Trust me. That's not what I'm thinking."
By now, I knew better than to ask him what hewasthinking. Instead, I returned to the topic at hand. "What I mean is, well, yesterday, I know that things with Imogen got kind of tense. And if I'm being totally honest, I might've added to the tension—"
Now he looked almost amused. "Might've?"
"Fine," I said. "Point taken. But what I'm asking is… wasthatreason you fired your assistant? Because of all the drama from yesterday?" I winced. "Drama thatIcaused, I mean."
Abruptly, he stood. "No."
Compared to my long question, his answer seemed woefully short.
Plus, now that he was standing, I felt even smaller in comparison. As I craned my neck to stare up at him, I wondered yet again,who was this guy?
I definitely needed to know.Fortunately, I had someone I could ask.
My sister.I still hadn't called her back, but I was planning to, ASAP.
Already, I was making a list of questions and stacking them like cordwood in my head. By now, the stack was so big, my head literally ached.
I was tossing yet another question onto the pile when Jack said, "The jet leaves tomorrow morning."
I shook my head. "What?"
"And we leave for the airport at nine. Be ready."
"But wait," I said for what felt like the millionth time. "I already told you, I haven't accepted."
"And I already toldyou, don't worry, you will." As he said it, he picked up the cell phone and returned it to his pocket. And then, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing alone in Flynn's kitchen.
Almost in a trance, I moved toward the table and claimed the seat that Jack had just vacated. And then, I heard myself sigh.Damn it.He was right, yet again.
I would be accepting.
Cripes, I'd be stupid not to. The pay was amazing, and more importantly, I needed the college credits.
If I played my cards right and doubled up on some other classes, this might enable me to graduate a whole semester earlier than I'd planned.
That was the upside.
But the downside was a lot more complicated. Thanks to that godawful phone message, not to mention Jack's heartless attitude, I knew for a fact that the job would be no picnic.
